The Future of Research (and the broad definition of a 'Scientist')

Not in general, but what I had planned for myself.

Taking 2 research subjects and slaving over my research projects for 3 consecutive semesters had taken its toll on me, emotionally, mentally and physically. Well, not physically. Not really. 

When I first started my research project, I felt happy being in the lab. Alone. I mean, I love being alone most of the time. But being in a lab alone by myself, with my research materials in front of me, waiting to be meddled with (hahaha), then that's double the happiness! 

I felt so calm; it was so peaceful. I knew that I wanted my own laboratory in the future. I knew that I wanted to become a researcher/scientist. To become a scientist had been my dream since I was 8, because I was influenced by the popular science-fiction series 'Spellbinder' back then. Not many 8 year-olds wanted to become a scientist back then. And when my teacher saw that I had written 'scientist' in the list of ambitions, she said 'Very good! Study hard, okay!'. And tadaaa...16 years later, I had graduated as a pharmacist Scientist. 

(Well, actually, the term scientist is very broad. Anyone who takes any subject related to science, then you're a scientist! :P)

But when I had to rush for the deadline, all those peaceful elements had been replaced by stress, agony, worry and other negative feelings that lead to me contemplating my future as a researcher. This feeling of restlessness had been quadrupled with the undesirable experimental results. You felt like giving up. But no, you have to scrape through this whole ordeal. That was when I learned about the dark sides of research/being a researcher. So-called dark sides.

Research is about searching, and researching, researching again. It's very rare that you could get the results that you wanted in just single trial/attempt. It also depends on luck. Really. 

One thing I learned about research is that no matter how meticulous and precise you are, no matter how accurate each measurement is, in the end, you will have to leave everything to Allah to decide whether it will become a success or not. Kun Fayakun. 

It's different from examinations. Research is about venturing into the unknown world, to learn about something that had never been learned before, to discover something new that no one had ever discovered. And to do this, you have to rely on Allah. 

Research in a way, measures your spiritual quotient. It could also get you closer to Allah, by means relying on Him, and to pray to Him. Because only He has the power to change anything into something. Get what I mean? 

Thus, it is not easy to become a researcher. You need to have a high level of perseverance and tolerance (with bacteria, people, instruments, hahaha!) to become a good researcher. That, plus knowledge and reliance towards Allah, insya Allah you will find the 'Light' while venturing in this dark tunnel of Research. xD

I had a discussion with my dad about research, more like explaining to him about 'Research', of which I would just sum the whole discussion in point form:

• You could not do your research alone. You must have your own research team. Well, you could do it alone, but it will take a long time. Plus, you do not have all the skills needed, so you need to borrow someone else's skills. 
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• To make a patented drug, it does not take a mere 5 to 10 years. It takes elevenses of years, or tens of years. Because there are many steps and levels that we have to undergo to make drugs. First it was the laboratory scale, pilot plant scale, and lastly, production scale. In lab scale, you have many tests like the isolation of bioactive compounds, toxicity test, etc.
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• Plants have a lot of chemicals. Millions of them. It will take a long time for us to identify and isolate the bioactive compounds responsible for the various medicinal properties. 
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• Once we had identified and isolated the secondary metabolites,there is also the probability that the particular compound will not give any desired medicinal property when it was used on its own as compared to when it was used in its whole plant form. Because as there are many secondary metabolites in the plant, those other so-called 'insignificant' metabolites play vital roles in enhancing the..let's say, antimicrobial property of the once isolated desired bioactive compound. It could be aptly summarised with the phrase 'divided we fall, united we stand'. 
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• There had been a lack of research..Very lacking, I must say, in the medicinal properties of the Malaysian herbs, as compared to herbs of other countries. For example, there's the ginseng and whatnots oriental herbs from China, Korea and Japan. Then there's the 'St John's Worts' and 'Evening Primrose Oil' from the Western countries. What about Malaysia? The renowned ones are just 'Tongkat Ali' and 'Kacip Fatimah', of which the only properties known and identified were as 'aphrodisiacs'. There were also the 'Hempedu Bumi', and other local plants. Their medicinal properties were identified of course, but somehow, these plants were not being commercialised into drug forms, and that they were not as widely known as the 'Tongkat Ali' and 'Kacip Fatimah'.( I took the subjects 'Herbal Medicines' and 'Pharmacognosy' for my Pharmacy degree). Core courses, mind you. I made a poster presentation about the medicinal properties of 'Paku Pakis Tanduk Rusa'. Very difficult to find the studies that support this hypothesis, I tell you. I mostly relied on the traditional properties documented in an Indonesian literature. 

Which later leads to me thinking 'Well, I feel like conducting research about these plants'. The thought of doing research scares me, because I'm not sure whether I'm ready to face all the trials and tribulations of research once again. But someone has to do it.

I'm going to be a Pharmacist by profession, but the field of science is so vast, broad, endless! I have a lecturer who was a Medical Doctor, and yet for his post-doctorate studies, he took a 'Drug Discovery' program, which deals with chemical structures and elements. Like I said, the term 'Scientist' is very broad. As long as you are taking any science-related program, you could choose to go anywhere you wanted to. If you have a Biomedicine Degree, you could take Masters in Pharmacy (true story), or even a Medical degree (more years to be spent of course but heyy seeking knowledge is not a waste of time)  And the perks of taking a 'science program' is that you could also choose to embrace the 'Artistic side of you', by becoming a writer, painter, carpenter, historian/curator of a museum! :P Do you know that a pharmacist could also become a Lawyer? We even took the subject 'Ethics and Law in Pharmacy' for our degree. There is even the 'Pharmacy Law/Law in Pharmacy' programme for postgraduate studies. 

Oh well, I'm thinking of pursuing my Masters' Degree after 1-2 years of working (after I obtained my Drug Dealer's License, muahahaha). But for now, I'd just concentrate on Clinical Pharmacy. Perhaps after I achieved a Doctorate in Clinical Pharmacy (and become the a Doctor and built my own Tardis), I would take the chance of expanding my knowledge into the field of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and that the Lab will greet me 'Welcome home, Sarah!'. Hahahaha. That's it, my Lab is my TARDIS!!! I shall call my lab 'TARDIS' and I shall paint the door dark blue with the 'Police Box' sign on top. Sorry I can't help being geeky. I'm a Ravenclaw. :P

Insya Allah. I'll need all the prayers from everyone. :)